Horse-power



(No Model.)

- G. W RICKERD;

- HORSE POWER.

Patented Mar. 19

GEORGE W. RICK ERD, OF BURNS, KANSAS.

HORSE-POWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 535,860, dated March 19, 1895. Application filed November 14, 1894:. Serial No. 528,316. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. RIoKEaD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Burns, in the county of Marion and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Horse-Driver, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to horse driving apparatus, adapted for use in connection with horse powers designed for operating machincry, and the objects in view are to provide a simple and efficient construction whereby the operator is enabled to manipulate a whip arm tourge the draft animal to greater effort.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective view ofa horse driving apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the parts in the position in which they as sumo when the operating cord is drawn to 0bstruct the forward movement of the whip arm. Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective of the whip socket. Fig. 4 is a detail vertical section to show the manner of mounting the swingingarm.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the tigu res of the draw- 1ngs.

1 designates a sweep arm attached to a cross-head 2 and provided with a tension brace 3, and erected upon said cross-head is a frame 4 having the approximately parallel side-bars 5 connected at their upper ends by a crosspiece 6 and at intermediate points by a crosspiece 7. Mounted in hearings in the upper and intermediate cross-pieces 6 and 7, is a spindle 8 carrying a radially disposed whip arm 9 which projects outward over the sweep arm and is normally held in such position by means of an actuating-spring 10.

Located at a distance from the pivotal crosshead to which the sweep arm is connected is a standard 11, the top of which is attached. by means of a bar 12 with a plate 13 resting upon the upper end of the frame 4. This plate is provided with a central bearing which registers with the bearing in the upper crossbar of the frame and receives the vertical spindle above said bearing in the cross-bar.

the plate 13, and attached to the outer end of i said pawl is a rodv 20 which extends through a guide eye 21 on the swinging arm and terminates in a ring 22. Coiled upon the rod between its point of attachment to the pawl and the guide eye is a spring 23, which normally holds the pawl out of engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel, and attached to said ring at the extremity of said rod is an operating cord 24 which extends through suitable guides 25 on the horizontal bar 12 and terminates contiguous to the standard 11.

Attached to the outer or free end of the whip arm is a whip socket 26, held in place by means of a clip consisting of fixed bolts 27, a clip-plate 28, and nuts 29 threaded upon the bolts and bearing against the clip-plate; The whip socket is tubular in section and in it is secured the whip or lash 30.

In operation, when it is desired to operate the whip arm to urge the draft animal to greater exertion, the operating cord is drawn to bring the pawl into engagement with the teeth of the ratchet wheel. The continued forward movement of the sweeparm causes the actuating-spring 10 to be extended or strained, and therefore when the operating cord is released and the pawl is disengaged from the ratchet-wheel, by means of the spring provided for that purpose, the whip-arm is advanced rapidly by its actuating-spring 10 and the whip or lash is broughtin contact with the draft animal.

Owing to the swinging-arm which carries the pawl, and the spring which is attached to the swinging-arm to return it to its normal position, the whip may be operated when the sweep is at rest, by drawing the operating cord and thereby swinging the said arm and turning the ratchet-wheel to retract the whiparm. Thus the whip may be employed to start the team.

It will be understood that in practice various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, 1

' claim-.-

1. The combination with a sweep-arm and a rotary frame receiving motion therefrom, of a whip-arm havinga spindle mounted in bearings in said frame and provided with a ratchet-wheel, an actuating-spring for the whip-arm to hold the same in its normal position with relation to the frame, a swingingarm mounted concentric with the spindle of the whip-arm and provided with a retracting or return spring, a pawl mounted upon said swingingarm to engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheel and provided with a spring to normally hold it out of engagement with said ratchet wheel, and means for temporarily swinging the pawl into engagement with the ratchet-wheel and moving the swinging-arm in a direction opposite to that of the sweeparm, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a sweeparm attached to a pivotal cross-head, of a frame erected upon the cross-head and provided with vertically aligned bearings, a spindle mounted in said bearings and provided at its upper end with a ratchet-wheel, a swingingarm fulcrumed upon said spindle adjacent to the plane of said ratchet-wheel, a sweep-arm attached to the spindle and provided with an actuatingspring, a return-spring for said swinging-arm, a pawl pivoted upon the swinging-arm and adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheel, a guide-rod attached to the pawland fitting in a guide eye on the swinging-arm, a spring coiled upon said guide-rod to hold the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet-wheel, and an operating cord attached to said guide-rod, substantially as specified,

3. The combination with a sweeparm having a cross-head, of a frame erected upon said cross-head, a plate resting upon the upper end of the frame, a spindle spaced from the center of rotation of the sweep-arm, a bar conmeeting the upper end of the standard with said plate, a spindle mounted in bearings in the plate and in the frame and carrying a whip-arm, a. spring for holding said whip-arm in its normal position with relation to the frame, a ratchet-wheel fixed to the spindle above the plane of said plate, a swinging-arm fulcrumed beyond the spindle between the planes of the plate and ratchet-wheel, a return-spring connecting said swinging-arm with a projection on the plate, a pawl pivoted upon the swinging-arm to engage the ratchetwheel, means for normally holding the pawl out of engagement with the ratchet-Wheel, and an operating cord for moving the pawl into engagement with the ratchet-wheel and moving the swinging-arm in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the sweep-arm, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. RICKERD.

Witnesses:

F. I. BELL, T. A. BAXTER. 

